


Blown Away

by MarriedPhan1234



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Chaptered, Child Abuse, Established Relationship, M/M, Storms, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-07-12 07:20:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15990386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarriedPhan1234/pseuds/MarriedPhan1234
Summary: Loosely inspired by the song Blown Away by Carrie Underwood.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't heard the song that has inspired this, you should. I would like to say, I'm not that good of a writer, and I'm not using a beta, so please be kind lol. I haven't finished writing all of it yet, but I do have plans to complete it. Please let me know what you think!!
> 
> (Spoiler alert: in future chapters, someone may try to molest Dan.)  
> Like I said, I haven't finished writing it yet, so who knows, I could change my mind!

"Daniel, bring me a beer."

It's not a request. Dan stands from his chair at the kitchen table and makes his way to the fridge. He makes mental note that this is his father's 5th beverage of the evening, meaning he will either go to bed a happy man in a few minutes, or it's another bad night for Dan. A Bad Night, as in a night where his homework doesn't get finished and he ends up with a black eye. 

He holds the beer out to his father. "Here you go," he says with a small smile. Keep it light. Everything is fine. Get back to the kitchen and maybe-

"M getting hungry," his father mumbles. 

"Do you want me to make something?" Dan asks, although there really isn't much to make. 

His father opens his beer, takes a dribbly slurp and then looks back at Dan. "No point, you'll just burn it." 

And there it is. 

Dan takes a deep breath and hopes that he can still salvage this. 

"There's a can of ravioli, I can just microwave some for you," he suggests. 

"I said no." 

Well then what the fuck does he want Dan to do? 

"Do you want me to run to the store?" Still light, still a faint smile. 

"With what money?" Which is just the response Dan was expecting. He does have some money stashed away, but he debates on whether he should spend it on his father. Of course, he doesn't have to tell him exactly how much money he has. 

"I have a little," he offers. 

His dad doesn't respond at first. Dan isn't even sure he heard what he'd said. 

He's blankly staring at the TV. Finally, he lets out an annoyed sigh and reaches into his back pocket for the car keys. 

"You may as well. Try and get a few days worth. Big storm coming, apparently."

Dan takes the keys and heads up the stairs to his room. 

Fifteen minutes later, he's driving down the highway, gas tank nearly empty. But that's not really his concern. He's pretty sure there's enough to make it to town and back, and his dad can deal with it in the morning. 

"First things first, we need to stock up on milk and bread. If there's a storm coming, we'll need to be able to make soggy bread cereal," Phil says with a giggle. 

"Seriously, what is that about? People don't even buy the lunch meat to go with the bread, or cereal for the milk! What's the point?" He gestures wildly with one hand, the other securely on the steering wheel. 

"Maybe the bad weather depleats the body of calcium and carbohydrates?" Phil suggests. 

They both laugh, and Dan shakes his head fondly. 

He was lucky that Phil was free that evening, and that he lives on the way to town. They don't get to see each other much outside of school, so just about any outing without parents around, they consider a "date."

As they turned into the grocery store parking lot, the mood changed. 

"I have to tell you something," Dan stated. 

"Okay?" 

"So, I was saving up to get you something for your birthday."

"You don't have to get me anything," Phil said with a sweet smile. 

"I know, I want to. But I... I might not have enough for anything all that good." He looks down at his lap in shame. "I was hoping to get us tickets for that show you were talking about. But there's literally no food at my house, and with the storm coming, I knew I wouldn't be able to get out the house much, and I-"

"Dan, you really don't have to get me anything at all. It's sweet enough that you remembered I wanted to go to the show. It was like a month ago that I brought it up," Phil chuckled. He put his hand on Dan's shoulder, and got a bit more serious. "And I understand about... About not wanting to be stuck in a house with your dad with no food."

Dan nodded his head, but still felt guilty. He was never able to get Phil any gifts. He always ended up writing him a letter or making him something home made, which can be sweet, he knows. But Phil deserves more.

Phil smirked at him then. "Plus, you've got the rest of our lives to make it up to me," he said, and then winked. 

Dan grinned then and said, "Oh, I plan to. Come on."

He took the keys out of the ignition and opened his door, already making a mental grocery list of the cheapest foods he could think of. He may be making a sacrifice, but he was definitely getting Phil something for his birthday. Even if it was a wonky teddy bear from Poundland. 

Phil grabbed a cart and walked beside Dan. "Might I suggest ramen noodles? Add cheese and canned chicken and that's a whole meal," he said. 

Dan nodded and tossed a few items into the cart. "Maybe some fellet mignon and scalloped potatoes. Lobster tail sounds nice." 

Phil laughed, maybe a bit too loudly for a grocery store setting. 

They went through the store, grabbing cheap, but not very nutritious food. Dan stopped to count and calculate every few items, just to make sure he was staying within budget. A few items had to go back, but really they did quite well, despite not being able to afford the fillet mignon and lobster tail. 

Dan didn't know how bad the storm was supposed to be, but he hoped it wouldn't last too long. His dad can get... crabby, to say the least. 

They loaded the groceries into the car and headed for home. Or rather, to Phil's. 

Phil doesn't live that far away from Dan. Only about a mile and a half away. And lucky enough for the both of them, his bedroom is on the ground floor with a large window that doesn't have a screen. 

Dan has only snuck over a couple of times, terrified of getting caught. But when his dad is being especially awful, he knows that he has somewhere to escape to. 

"If the storm gets too big, do you think they'll name it?" Phil asks. 

"No, I think they only name tropical storms."

"They don't name tornadoes? What about in The Wizard of Oz? I could have sworn it had a name." Phil is looking out the window with that inquisitive look on his face. The one he has when his imagination is running like crazy and he comes up with his best (and worst) ideas. 

"No Phil, it did not have a name," Dan chuckled. 

They're pulling into Phil's driveway now. Phil snaps out of whatever the hell he's going on about and turns to look at Dan. 

"Text me later, when you can?" He asks, and holds out his hand for Dan to take. 

"Of course. Thanks for coming with me." Dan squeezes his hand and leans over to kiss Phil's cheek. "Love you."

Phil blushes, because of course he still blushes. Even after all this time. "Love you, too."

He gives a heavy sigh before stepping out of the car, and Dan watches him go up the steps and into his house. He wishes he could stay, but then glances at the clock and reality sets back in. 

He's been gone for almost two hours. If his father is still awake, he's not going to be happy. 

Dan pulls out of the Lesters' driveway and heads home. 

"Something's got to give," he mumbles out loud. It can't go on like this forever. Sure, he's almost eighteen, but what does that matter when he hasn't got a job, or his own car, or money for a place to stay? 

He can't rely on Phil or his family to help him that much. Especially not when they live right down the road from each other. If Dan we're to move in with the Lesters, his dad would come right over and make an even bigger arse of himself in trying to keep Dan at home with him. 

As Dan turned into his driveway, rain started splattering on the windshield. Maybe the storm was coming sooner than he'd thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: noncon touching, but nothing graphic.

The rain didn't stop until the following day. The loud thunder had kept Dan up nearly all night, but his father hadn't noticed at all. In fact, he'd been asleep when Dan got home with the groceries and didn't wake until the next morning when Dan was already off to school. 

By the time Dan got home, he was so exhausted that he went straight to his bedroom and curled up in his bed. His mind tried to race with worries about his homework, the housework that surely needed tending, the dinner that he was going to have to make. But shortly after his head hit the pillow, the world fell away. He simply couldn't stay awake. 

He had no idea what time it was when he heard his door creaking open. Footsteps making their way toward him. 

He was too tired, he couldn't help it when he drifted off to sleep again. 

Until there were hands on his face. Fingers dragging through his hair. 

"'S curly. Just like hers."

He blinked awake, trying to make sense of what was happening. 

"Dad, I'm sleeping," he croaked. He could smell the alcohol on his breath. Honestly, his father couldn't go one day without pickling his brain and causing Dan grief. 

He pulled the blanket up higher and tried to shrug his dad away. 

"You look just like her," he mumbled. 

Dan knew he looked just like his mother. He'd heard his dad say so many times. He'd seen pictures of her. 

But he really didn't need to hear this right now. Every fiber of his being was annoyed and exhausted. He did not need to think about the woman that chose to promise forever to this disgrace of a man, then got to just die and never deal with him again. She just left Dan to pick up after the life that she'd made. 

No, Dan did not want to hear about how much he looked like his mother. 

He rolled over, facing away from his father. His hands were no longer in Dan's hair, but he just didn't take the hint. Dan felt the bed dip with his father's weight. A heavy arm slung over his body, breath at the back of his neck. 

Was his father seriously going to come and pass out in Dan's bed? He was racking his brain for what to do. If he made a scene, his dad might get angry. If he could just slip out of the bed, then he would leave him there and go sleep on the couch. Not a big deal. 

Until a calloused hand started making it's way down Dan's body. 

"Miss you, Sherry."

Dan squirmed, but it was only a twin bed. The scratchy hand made its way under his shirt, the breath at the back of his neck suddenly closer. 

"Dad, what the fuck?" He shouted, and flung himself out of the bed. 

His dad grumbled incoherently and rubbed his face with his hands. His movements were slow, his breath heavy. And then he was asleep. 

"Are you fucking kidding me," Dan said, mostly to himself. He scrubbed his hands down his face, starting to feel his eyes well up. 

His dad had always been a drunken asshole, but he'd never done anything like this before. 

Dan could put up with a lot that he knew he shouldn't. He could handle being hit, cursed at, taken advantage of. But not this. This was a new low, even for his father.

He couldn't be here. Not for one more second. 

He grabbed a duffel bag and put some clean clothes in it, as well as anything essential, and made his way out of the house. 

The sun was just starting to set, not that it really told anything about what time it could be. The storm clouds lingered even though the rain had stopped, making everything darker than it should be. 

As Dan walked down the road toward Phil's house, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly to himself. Isn't that just a metaphor for his life? Even when the rain stops, it's still dark and cloudy. Even when his dad sleeps long enough to give Dan an evening to himself, he still finds a way to make up for lost time when he gets the chance. 

He suddenly feels disgusting. He wants nothing more than to have a shower and cuddle up in Phil's bed. 

Hopefully Phil's parents wouldn't mind him showing up unannounced and expecting to be able to have a sleepover. 

They'd had them before. Not to mention, the couple of times that Phil's mum had found Dan in Phil's bed after sneaking through the window. 

She never seemed to mind, though. Phil had told her a bit about what Dan's home life was like, and she'd agreed that they would do anything they could to help. It's just that, other than providing the occasional safe place, there wasn't much they could do. 

And Dan always felt like he was a burden. He couldn't pinpoint why he felt that way, just that he did. Every time he came knocking on their door, and every time she would set an extra plate, or have an extra set of clothes or school supplies, Dan just felt so indebted to them. 

Kathryn and Nigel Lester were truly some of the best people on the planet. 

And Andrew Howell was one of the worst. 

Dan guessed the universe just stayed balanced that way. Nothing to be done about it. 

By the time he got to the Lesters' house, he'd calmed down considerably. Don't get him wrong, he was still very pissed and disturbed by what had happened, but he also didn't really feel like talking about it. Not yet, at least. 

They would all just assume that his father had hit him or that they didn't have any food and not say anything about it. Dan's situation was kind of an elephant in the room that everyone just agreed to ignore. And he was fine with that. 

When he knocked on the door, Kathryn welcomed him in with a smile and a hug. 

"How are you, dear? Planning to stay the night?" She asked once she'd squeezed his upper half and rubbed his arms. Probably feeling for wounds or something. 

Dan shrugged but smiled. "I'm alright. Uh, yeah, if that's ok with you?" Always unsure, always guilty. 

"Of course. You know you're welcome here. Have you eaten? We've just finished dinner, but there are a few leftovers." Typical Kath. An honorary mum to everyone she meets. 

Dan figured he probably couldn't stomach anything right now. "Oh, I'm not really hungry. Thank you though."  
He really just wanted to go to Phil's room and forget everything, if only for one night. 

Kathryn put her hand back on Dan's shoulder and moved a little closer to him, making him look her in the eye. "Are you alright, Dan?" She asked, her voice hushed and eyebrows raised. 

Dan swallowed thickly and took a breath. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't trust himself not to say too much, so he just nodded his head. 

"Ok." She stepped away from him then. "Phil is in his room. Let me know if you need anything." And then she walked into the living room and sat on the couch with Nigel. 

He walked down the short hallway to Phil's bedroom, and was relieved to see the door wasn't fully shut. He couldn't explain it, but he never knew whether to knock or just walk in. Sometimes he would just text Phil and tell him he was standing outside his door and wait for him to read it, rather than to just knock. 

He pushed it open gently and cleared his throat to announce his arrival. Why? Why couldn't he just say, 'hey Phil, I'm here, in your room, about to stay the night with you." 

Phil looked up and grinned when he saw that it was Dan. 

"Hey! Are you staying the night? Is everything ok?" Phil asked and made his way over to Dan, immediately wrapping him in a bear hug. 

Dan dropped his bag to the floor and melted against Phil. He hid his face against Phil's neck and just breathed. This was what he needed. Just to be with someone who knows him and wants him. 

Phil rubbed his hands up and down Dan's back, just holding him for as long as Dan let him. He could probably sense the tension. They'd been through this type of thing before. 

Phil planted a kiss to the top of Dan's head and whispered, "Do you want to just get into bed? Watch a movie or something? You don't have to talk about it."

Dan nodded, still not trusting himself to speak. But then he remembered the way those calloused hands had felt against his sides, his chest, his face. He felt dirty. He shook his head. Phil still hadn't let go of him, and Dan was glad for that because if Phil looked at him with those understanding and caring eyes right now he just might break.

"No?" Phil asked, still swaying them just a little. 

Dan took another calming breath, taking in the smell of Phil's shampoo coming from his recently washed hair. 

"Can I shower first?" He asked, just barely a mumble.

"Of course." Phil pulled away, but kept his arms around Dan. "Do you... You know where the first aid kit is, right?" 

Dan chuckled dryly and nodded his head. Of course he knew where it was, he'd only had to use it about a hundred times. 

"Ok, well, I'll be here." Phil let go of him and Dan could feel his eyes on him as he walked back down the hall to the bathroom. 

He hated this. He hated everything. He hated having to be looked after, and having to depend on his boyfriend's family to patch him up after a bad night at home. He hated feeling unsafe, and now he couldn't even feel safe in his own room. Not in his own bed. 

He thought about all the things he hated as he showered, and when he was clean, he sat in the warm stream of water and thought about it some more. 

He hated his mother for leaving him here. He hated the kids at school who used to make fun of him before he'd figured out how to wash his own clothes, and the teachers who did nothing to stop them. 

He hadn't realized he was crying until a broken sob made its way from him. And he didn't try to stop. He let the tears fall, here in the safety of Phil's shower, even though he hated crying. 

But more than that, he absolutely hated his father.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw homophobia and physical abuse.

The next morning, Dan got to wake up to his favorite thing. Phil's sleeping face, cheek smashed against the pillow, a little patch of drool. He loved this boy, snores and all. 

He didn't know what time it was, and he didn't care to check. He was in a happy bubble in his boyfriend's bed. He would have to go home eventually, but the longer he didn't have to think about that, the better. 

Phil started to stir. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, then rested his arm over Dan's body, snuggling closer. 

"Good morning," Dan whispered, wrapping his arms around his sleepy boyfriend who only groaned in response. Neither of them were morning people. 

They stayed like that, Phil resting his head on Dan's chest, and Dan lightly rubbing Phil's back for a while. 

He wasn't sure if Phil had actually fallen back asleep or not, but he didn't mind either way. He'd stay like this all day if he could. 

But he knew he couldn't. He would have to go back home and clean up any mess that his father had made. Although, his father might not be so mean to him after what had happened last night. 

He would most likely not be home today at all. Usually, after the worst days, he tries to make it up to Dan in some way. Meaning he actually goes to work, or brings home groceries, you know, things that parents should do for their kids. 

So Dan could probably wait a while longer before going home today. No need to spoil this moment with worry. 

Kathryn was probably making breakfast right now. On Saturdays, she makes a huge breakfast. Mostly for Dan's sake. 

Finally, Phil turned his head to look at Dan. 

"Do you know how much I love you?" He asked, his voice still raspy with sleep. 

Dan chuckled. "I love you too. You're always such a sap in the mornings." Dan teased. 

Phil scooted up the bed, and leaned up on his elbows. "I can't help it. You're so warm and snuggly, it makes me say all kinds of things when I wake up next to you."

He leaned down and kissed Dan, who groaned. 

"I have bad breath," he muttered. 

Phil only backed away a few inches, smiling. "So do I, but I don't care if you don't."

Dan tapped his finger on his chin and hummed. He really didn't care, but he wanted to tease Phil a little. 

Phil gasped and lightly smacked Dan's hand away before planting a big wet kiss on his lips. 

Dan couldn't help but giggle, and slowly the kisses turned into sweet, closed mouth kisses. They did have morning breath, after all. Plus, Phil's parents were home. They didn't need to get worked up just before family breakfast. 

But they could do this, just for a little while. Some lazy morning kisses, their legs tangled together. Phil was right. Everything about this was warm and soft and safe. 

Even when Phil's mum taps on the door and peaks in, they're safe. 

"Breakfast is ready, boys," she says. 

Phil pulls away from Dan and they give her sheepish smiles, which she fondly rolls her eyes at before returning to the kitchen. 

"Can you stay for breakfast?" Phil asked. He climbed out of bed and Dan took a moment to appreciate Phil in his pj's. His loose Cookie monster pants clinging to his hips, an old t shirt hanging off his dainty frame. Messy hair, and glasses from the night stand. This was his favorite version of Phil. Who was now waiting for an answer.  
"Oh, um. Yeah. I can stay for a bit," he said, and finally got out of bed as well. Even if his father had gone out for the day, he would expect Dan to be there and the house to be clean whenever he got home. 

But he could enjoy breakfast first. 

**  
Mr. and Mrs. Lester offered to drive Dan home. They even offered to let Phil drive him home, or to town, or literally anywhere. But Dan thought it would be best to walk home. 

And it was a good thing he did, because as it turned out, his father hadn't gone out for the day. And he was not happy. 

"Where the hell have you been?" He asked, as soon as Dan came into the house. 

"I- I was..." What the hell was he supposed to say? And what right did his father have to be upset?

"You've been with that boy, haven't you? How many times have I forbid you to see him?" His father was coming toward him now. 

"But I wasn't-" Dan was actually getting scared. His father pointed a finger in his face, the front door was shut behind him. There was nowhere to go. 

"You're fucking disgusting, you know that? If I had the money, I'd ship you off to one of those camps to fix you," he spat. 

"Don't kid yourself. You'd spend it on booze. And you're one to talk, after what you tried to do to me last night!" Dan knew he shouldn't provoke him. But honestly, Dan sneaking over to Phil's is in no way comparable to his father's actions. 

"Last night? I didn't lay a finger on you! I know I drank too much, and I ended up in your room, but I only went in there to check on you!" His father's face was blood red, little beads if sweat on his forehead. Dan needed to choose his next words wisely. 

"So, you don't even remember? No, dad, I didn't run to Phil's because you hit me. It was worse." Dan was trembling. Yes, he left before anything really bad could happen, but that's not the point. It almost happened. And it makes him sick thinking about it now. 

There was a lump in his throat, and his eyes were burning. "You're sick, dad! You came into my bed and, how can you not remember? You tried to fucking touch me!"

"Shut your mouth! You're fucking lying!" His father lifted his hand and Dan knew what was coming. 

Smack.

"I would never do such a thing!"

Smack.

"You're just making things up to get me in trouble!"

He grabbed Dan's arm and yanked him toward him, only to push him back against the door. Dan's head hit pretty hard, but before he could dwell on it, he was being pulled by the arm again. 

"You act like I'm the worst father there is! You don't appreciate anything I do for you!" 

They stumbled their way up stairs, his father's fingers digging into the flesh of his arm the whole way. 

"But whose house is this? Who pays the light bill? You stay here out of the goodness of my heart! And now you want to act like I'm some kind of violator?"

He let go of Dan's arm, only to shove Dan into his bedroom by a punch to the stomach. Dan fell backward and landed on the floor, coughing and trying to catch his breath. 

His father left his room, slamming the door behind him.  
Dan crawled to his bed, and listened as his father stomped down the hall, and then turn toward his room again. He was afraid he'd decided he wasn't finished beating on Dan. He did the only thing he could think to do. He quickly locked the door, then took his desk chair and jammed it under the knob. 

Even if his dad had a key or picked the lock, he wasn't coming in easily. 

He heard him yelling, cursing Dan and telling him that he'd better never come out. He was stuck in here. In his bed that doesn't feel warm or safe. 

He lay there and let himself cry. 

He wished he had left Phil's earlier that morning. Maybe he could have come in before his father had woken up. But he couldn't have known that he'd be there, and getting home any earlier wouldn't have changed the outcome. 

Maybe he should have stayed at Phil's longer. Maybe he should have run away with Phil. 

But, no, they don't have any money. They wouldn't get far. 

Then what could he do? His father wouldn't leave him alone, for as long as he lived. Dan knew it. Even in a few months when he turns 18, he'll find a way to make Dan miserable. 

So he would just have to find a way to get rid of him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tw: this is THE chapter, if ya know what I mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long! My phone got smashed and the chapter was already written on it. I've just gotten it back from getting a new screen, so I hope you can forgive my absence and enjoy this chapter!

Dan awoke to thunder cracking, shaking the house. 

He checked his phone and saw that it was early. Too early for the sun to be up. Lightning lit up his room for a split second, and then he felt another rumble of thunder. 

The rain was pounding on the roof and sides of the house. Wind blowing so hard, he was sure the house might blow over. 

And then the power went out. 

"Shit," he hissed. Luckily, he had plugged his phone up to charge before he had fallen asleep. 

Dan got up and fumbled his to way to the window to get a better look, but there wasn't much to see. The rain was so heavy, he wouldn't have been able to see his hand in front of his face had there been enough light to see it. 

He supposed he should report the power outage, not that anyone should be out working on power lines in this weather. No, he would wait until morning to call, or at least until the rain slowed. 

Dan laid back down, and tried to block out the sounds of the storm. He wanted to get at least a few more hours of sleep before having to deal with his father. 

With it being the wee hours of Sunday morning, Dan would have a whole day of cleaning up the aftermath of the evening before. 

Dan's phone sounded an alarm, and he jumped to silence it. 

EMERGENCY WEATHER ALERT. THUNDER STORMS AND HIGH WINDS LIKELY. FIND SHELTER.

"No shit" Dan mumbled to himself. 

His heart was adrenaline boosted, and he waited to see if the alarm had bothered his father. The last thing he needed was to wake him. The rain was so loud that he wouldn't have heard his father coming, anyways, so he just laid back in his bed and tried to get comfortable. 

He tried to sleep, but only managed to drift in and out of hazy unconsciousness for a while. 

Suddenly, Dan woke again and sat up. Something felt wrong. Something like a chill in his spine, his hair trying to stand on end. But what was it? 

He checked his phone again and saw that he'd fitfully slept for about an hour. And the rain seemed lighter. 

Well, then why did he feel so strange? Something about the air felt thick with static electricity. 

Itching for something to do, Dan decided to go downstairs and check on the rest of the house.

He moved the chair and unlocked his door as quietly as he could, but figured that if the storm hadn't woken his dad, then Dan creeping down the stairs certainly wouldn't wake him either. 

Everything seemed fine, and even the rain was continuing to slow. Dan's father was fast asleep on the living room couch. Or, based on the bottle of whiskey that was nearly empty on the floor, he was passed out. Either way, everything was normal. 

Except for the fact that the rain had basically stopped, leaving everything silent. Eerily so. 

Then he heard it. 

The tornado sirens. 

They were screaming from the fire department a few miles away, but Dan could hear them clearly. And it took him a moment to tie it all together. 

A tornado was coming. Right now. He needed to get into the cellar, right fucking now. 

The wind was howling outside, and quickly picking up speed. 

Shocked into action, Dan moved at lightning speed to grab his jacket. Then he looked at his father, still snoring on the couch. 

He was completely unaffected by the noise and the danger that was coming. If Dan didn't shake him awake, he would just stay asleep. 

He would stay right there, on the couch, in the path of a fucking tornado. 

But that was only if Dan would let it happen. 

He couldn't do that. He couldn't just leave his father for dead. 

Could he?

Dan looked around at this house. This shamble of a life that never really fit him. The holes in the walls from angry fists that were aimed at Dan's face. The rubbish everywhere that he didn't contribute to, but was expected to pick up. The sleepless, tear filled nights, and the wasted years that had gone by. 

Before he could think anymore about it, his feet were moving him toward the front door. He slid his jacket on, shut the door behind him, and ran to the cellar. 

He'd only been in there a couple of times. 

It was dark and musty. The only things down there were some nonperishable food items and spiders.   
Dan pulled hard to shut the door and then locked it, leaving him in a pitch black room that smelled of dead earth. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned the torch on. Luckily, there were candles and a box of batches, and one flash light which, thank fuck, had working batteries. He decided to save the flash light and his phone battery, and lit one of the candles. 

He could hear the wind blowing, rattling the cellar door. It was so loud, it almost sounded like someone screaming. 

His heart dropped. What if his father did wake up? He would know that Dan had left him there. If this tornado didn't kill Dan, his father would. 

He sat in the back corner on the concrete floor and curled into a ball, covering his ears with his hands. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take any of this. 

Dan didn't believe in God, and he certainly didn't pray, but he might as well have been praying. He was hoping and wishing harder than he ever had before. 

He wished that this stupid tornado would come and just blow everything away. All the bad memories. The shame, and the hatred. He would be better off if everything he knew was just... Gone. 

He needed a clean start. 

He could feel tears slipping down his face, but didn't bother to wipe them away. 

He could still hear the wind, so he squeezed his eyes shut and held his ears tighter. It was so loud, it was as if he we're being run over by a train. 

And then it was gone. 

The wind was slowing down. 

Dan opened his eyes and was met with pitch black. His candle had blown out. 

He checked his phone and saw that he had a missed call from Phil. The Lesters' had a basement, so he wasn't too worried. 

He was mostly worried about what he would find outside. He didn't know what would be worse, if his house, and therefore his father we're completely destroyed, or if they were completely fine. 

He could see light peeking around the cellar door. The sun was coming up. 

Dan knew he had to look. So, on wobbly legs, he got up, walked to the door. He was met with some resistance, as a branch had fallen in front of the door. But once he finally slipped out, he took in his surroundings. 

And he felt fucking sick.


End file.
